Electricity trade unions say more than 2,000 employees who have applied for voluntary retirement are facing uncertainty and difficulties due to the failure to announce a final date for the completion of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) restructuring process.
The government had decided to restructure the CEB, with implementation scheduled to commence from yesterday (February 1). Under the proposed restructuring, the CEB is to be reorganized into six government-owned companies covering generation, transmission, distribution and system operations.
As part of the restructuring process, a voluntary retirement scheme was introduced for employees who do not wish to be absorbed into the new company structure. According to reports, 2,173 employees, including engineers, auditors and technical officers, have applied for voluntary retirement under the scheme.
The CEB has stated that compensation for retiring employees would range from Rs. 900,000 to a maximum of Rs. 5 million, depending on length of service.
However, trade unions point out that many of those who applied for voluntary retirement have already sought alternative employment, including jobs overseas, and are now facing serious difficulties due to the delay in announcing a definitive date for the restructuring process and their release from service.
